Conversations in Cloth exists to support and encourage the creative energy of our members in their pursuit of fiber art and related artistic endeavors. By sharing ideas and knowledge, we will foster the growth of each individual.
We meet the last Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Menasha Public Library, Menasha, Wisconsin.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Betty's beaded face. This is what Betty demonstrated for us this month .... Thanks for being project leader this month, Betty. We appreciate your time and talents! And (once again) Thanks to Jo for taking these pictures while I was out. ;-)

Special thanks to Jo H. for taking pictures and excellent notes this month while I was taking down the EAA Quilt Show. Here are the 2 quilts I had hanging in the EAA Quilt Gathering Show in Oshkosh (Jo made the trek down to Oshkosh and took pictures there as well!)

Michele's Millifiore 4-patch stacked posey. I love this technique! This one actually one 1st Place for Lap Quilts in this show. What a surprise!

Michele's Twin Connection Strip Therapy Quilt made with batiks.

Karen had her wool needle case and has a few kits left. Jo requested one and someone else also wanted one.

Karen was also a beading maniac this past month. She used metal tins such as Altoid boxes and beaded them using something called Terrifically Tacky Tape. I think the tape held the beads before she sewed them. She found the directions in a beading book, but forgot which book.

Karen also had a floral pin, [apologies for the blurred picture].

Pat had a purse she made, but said she had shown it before.

Sandy made some clay pieces with a aquatic life, some pieces with inlaid clay and also did two bobbins. The directions for the bobbins is in the June issue of Beads & Buttons.

Karen Sutter showed a purse she made and has been using this summer.

JoAnn had some wool felt she bought at a garage sale.

Brenda had a free form clay face she is making. It is still a work in progress.

Announcements:  Be sure to wear your nametag each month. New members and guests will have an easier time getting to know us. Sandy let us know that there was a tie factory outside of Chippewa Falls that sells silk remnents by the bag at a very low price. It is called “XMI”. There is also a ‘button lady’ that lives in Oshkosh across from Ardy’s & Ed’s on south Main St. Her name is Kathy Hoppe and she uses the O’Gosh tag line. Her web site is http://www.ohgosh-buttons.com/. “Everything Sewing” on Oneida St. in Green Bay is going out of business. Many things are discounted and will continue to be discounted further as the sale goes on.

Amazing Articles of Art brought by our Artistic Artists MembersMichelle had two really nice projects: Gramma Pickles which was an exercise in thread painting and samples of her latest rust dying efforts. Tips from Michelle include:• Use half water/half vinegar solution;• Wrap your fabric around something rusty and use plastic wrap to keep it moist. Leave it on for about two days depending on how hot it is;• Open a tea bag and sprinkle it on the rusted fabric. It makes attractivbe nblack marks• Wash fabric with synthrapol and hot water to stop the rusting processBetty brought her ATCs to share and passed around her family Christmas decoration for the year which is a set of cute moccasins.Sandy showed some of the quilt blocks that she had been working on with her silk tie scraps. The colors were vibrant and show great promise for a beautiful crazy quilt.Karen showed a beaded bracelet that she had made for a friend.

Program highlights – Part 1 - Polymer Clay Faces demonstrated by Karen.Karen brought two set of polymer clay molds which she passed around for everyone to use with the clay that they brought. She also demonstrated how to color the faces after they are baked at 230 degrees for 30 minutes.

I am also inserting a picture of how the faces look when they are painted with most of the paint rubbed off. The first one uses midnight brown shoe polish which leaves a nice sheen on the face. The other two are done with Luniere copper and gold paint. You can also use water to remove some or all of the paint if you don’t like the results. I didn’t have any brown paint at home, but I think that would really put a lot of depth into the cracks of the face piece.

July 29 – Part 2 – Beaded decoration for the clay faces by Betty. Betty shows us how to make hair out of beads (as for brooches) with the polymer clay faces we made in June. You can also bring a face bead if you already have one.

Class Supply List:• A piece of ultra suede or thin leather slightly larger than your face bead• #11 seed beads for hair in the color(s) of your choice• Beading needle and thread• Pin back (Betty has some extras)• Scissors

Please Note: I won’t be able to attend the July meeting and neither will Lois. Lois will be in Niagara Falls and I will be out on the water somewhere. You will need to color your face beads on your own using the techniques that I demonstrated at the last meeting or ones that you think will give you the desired effect.

2010 Future programs:August 27 – Lynda will demonstrate felting techniquesSeptember 30 – Lois will demonstrate how to make clothesline baskets.October 28 – Sandy will show up how to make clutch bags from a man’s tie.December 9 – Annual Christmas Party

Remember: a new CinC program chair is needed. It’s easy. Just work with CinC members to set up demonstration, schedule a field trip or invite a guest speaker. Without one, we won’t have the neat demonstrations that we have had in the past!